Body fluids, such as urine, routinely are taken from individuals by medical personnel for laboratory analysis. The typical specimen is collected at one location, such as a medical doctor's office or hospital, and then transported to a clinical laboratory site where the specimen is subjected to analysis. The specimen usually is collected in a plastic container that is shipped in the same container. The laboratory site may be quite distant from the collection site and the specimen container often is forwarded by mail, including air mail. To maintain the integrity of the sample it is necessary that the specimen container be leak proof and air tight to prevent fluid loss and possible air contamination during handling while in transport, especially when subjected to reduced atmospheric pressure that may occur during air transport.
Conventional plastic specimen containers with removable lids for medical purposes are not completely leak proof and air tight. Plastic specimen containers which purport to be leak proof and/or air tight usually include intricate sealant design features which can be costly to manufacture, or require sealant materials placed over external areas of the container where the container and its lid engage, without which complete fluid retention and air-tightness in the container cannot be ensured. Complete sealant properties are especially necessary when the plastic container is stored for an extended period of time, where it is likely that the plastic container will undergo slight deformations in shape due to temperature and pressure changes, resulting in fluid leakage as well as slow air seepage into and out of the container.
A need exists, therefore, for an improved plastic container for collection and transport of medical specimens which is completely leak proof and air tight for extended periods of time and under varying temperatures and atmospheric pressure without the need for costly manufacturing sealant design features or additional external sealant materials.